I wanted to write a bit about one of the most famous places South of the river. I wasn't planning on writing much until earlier on when I visited the library there.
The towns reputation grew after the 1980's sit-com 'Only Fools and Horses' was set, fictional characters Del and Rodney Trotter, as i'm sure a lot of people know portrayed life in one of London's roughest council estates, crime being rife, a lot of people un-employed. I guess you could say some of that is still true and relevant today, although Southwark's been doing a bit of a clean up, I should imagine. The reason I bring this up is because of something I saw today, next to the library there's a wall 'Peckham Peace Wall', the library is marvelous, it's a new, modern piece of architecture, not ugly, not pretty, but a statement, a statement saying 'we're rejuvenating the area - or, at least TRYING to.' I think it's a good sentiment, and it's carried on inside, but you can see rejuvenation all around you, the fifth floor window shows the skyline of East London and the city, big glass structures, some of them contemporary art, some of them seen as embellishments, in any case, they're changing the city, and while that's going on, smaller scale different infant school children from the local 'Academy' at Peckham (ranked highly by Ofsted) have created a massive display in the library. Thousands of tiny post-it notes, pink, green and yellow with tiny messages "God Loves Peckham" "The sun shines down on Peckham" "No More Violence". These are the few that I can remember, and I think i'll remember them for a while.
This display is just like the tower blocks and sky scrappers being put up around the city, it's a big statement, saying 'There's going to be change', and there has been, but I think the most moving sentiment is the hope, the blissful (perhaps ignorant) optimism that these children are feeling about the area, how despite it's flaws, they still love it, to them it's home. Blacks, Arabs, Whites, Asians, these children don't care, they care about their home, and they value it.
The title "Only fools and horses" refers to the expression, 'Only fools and horses work' i've always found it such an interesting quote, it makes you think of all the rich people in the world, who are just watching their money, make more and more money, without having to do anything. They're doing it right, surely, maybe it is 'us' that are doing it wrong, maybe the working class are the foolish ones, you've gotta admire it though. Although the literal job "HUNT" wasn't a success today, as soon as I have a job around these parts, i'll be very proud indeed.
The towns reputation grew after the 1980's sit-com 'Only Fools and Horses' was set, fictional characters Del and Rodney Trotter, as i'm sure a lot of people know portrayed life in one of London's roughest council estates, crime being rife, a lot of people un-employed. I guess you could say some of that is still true and relevant today, although Southwark's been doing a bit of a clean up, I should imagine. The reason I bring this up is because of something I saw today, next to the library there's a wall 'Peckham Peace Wall', the library is marvelous, it's a new, modern piece of architecture, not ugly, not pretty, but a statement, a statement saying 'we're rejuvenating the area - or, at least TRYING to.' I think it's a good sentiment, and it's carried on inside, but you can see rejuvenation all around you, the fifth floor window shows the skyline of East London and the city, big glass structures, some of them contemporary art, some of them seen as embellishments, in any case, they're changing the city, and while that's going on, smaller scale different infant school children from the local 'Academy' at Peckham (ranked highly by Ofsted) have created a massive display in the library. Thousands of tiny post-it notes, pink, green and yellow with tiny messages "God Loves Peckham" "The sun shines down on Peckham" "No More Violence". These are the few that I can remember, and I think i'll remember them for a while.
This display is just like the tower blocks and sky scrappers being put up around the city, it's a big statement, saying 'There's going to be change', and there has been, but I think the most moving sentiment is the hope, the blissful (perhaps ignorant) optimism that these children are feeling about the area, how despite it's flaws, they still love it, to them it's home. Blacks, Arabs, Whites, Asians, these children don't care, they care about their home, and they value it.
The title "Only fools and horses" refers to the expression, 'Only fools and horses work' i've always found it such an interesting quote, it makes you think of all the rich people in the world, who are just watching their money, make more and more money, without having to do anything. They're doing it right, surely, maybe it is 'us' that are doing it wrong, maybe the working class are the foolish ones, you've gotta admire it though. Although the literal job "HUNT" wasn't a success today, as soon as I have a job around these parts, i'll be very proud indeed.
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